Last Man on Earth
by Vampbarbie
Summary: A 'what if' tragic story. Character death, so do not read if that offends you. Reviews wanted!


Last Man On Earth

Crichton rubbed his eyes sleepily and chewed on his breakfast food cubes. He didn't actually know if it was breakfast time since they never technically had days. I miss days, he thought to himself lazily.

"Commander?" Pilot's blue fuzzy image appeared in the clamshell.

"Yo, Pilot. Good morning. What can I do for you?"

"Can you please go to tier seven and check on D'Argo?"

Crichton frowned. "Sure Pilot. Anything the matter?"

"I…I'm not sure."

"On my way."

Crichton stood up, eyed his food cubes then grabbed a couple. By the time he got back Rygel would be devouring the rest.

He jogged up to where Pilot had said D'Argo was. He rounded the corner to see a shape lying on the floor. John's first instinct was to slap his hand onto his thigh. Frellit! He'd left Winona on his bed. This is what he got for being sent places when he'd just woken up.

"D'Argo?" he edged towards the figure. "Stop playing around man."

Crichton looked round the corridor to check for anything suspicious then dropped to one knee over D'Argo's fallen form. He looked unconscious.

"D'Argo?" Crichton shook him slightly by the shoulder. "Wake up D'Argo, come on man."

D'Argo didn't move.

"Zhaan? Tier seven now!" he yelled into his comm.

It was some kind of virus, though Zhaan didn't know what. And that meant she didn't know how to treat it. She'd run all the tests she knew and several she made up.

D'Argo was getting worse and they didn't know what to do.

Day by day the virus was picking them off. Chiana was the first to die. Crichton was with her on command when she keeled over.

"Chiana?"

Her face was greyer than ever and her breathing seemed too fast.

"Chiana!" John shook her roughly.

He scooped her up in his arms and ran to the med bay as fast as his legs would go.

No one was there, except Zhaan looking after D'Argo.

D'Argo was fighting it, but they all knew it wouldn't be long.

Crichton lay Chiana on a bunk and collapsed, wheezing next to her.

"She…she…" He felt tears welling. "Pip…please…"

Zhaan lifted Chiana's wrist, looking for a pulse. "She's gone, John I'm sorry…"

"NO!" John's voice ripped from his body in a painful scream. "She can't be!"

He shook Chiana by the shoulders again. Her head lolled uselessly against the pillow.

"Chiana! Wake up now! This isn't funny!"

Zhaan rested a hand against his shoulder, tears running slowly down her cheeks.

"John please stop this…"

He brusquely shook her hand off him. Zhaan stepped away. Leaving D'Argo for a minute wouldn't harm him. She wasn't even sure he was there anymore. Maybe Aeryn could talk some sense into him.

Zhaan found Aeryn in the hanger bay fiddling with her prowler.

"Aeryn? Its John…"

Aeryn was on her feet in an instant. "What? Is he?"

Zhaan saw the panic in her eyes. "No. But Chiana is. He was with her when she…." She swallowed. "She died in his arms."

Aeryn found Crichton sat on the floor by Chiana's bunk, weeping against her hand.

"Pip, come on…wake up…"

Aeryn touched his shoulder. "She's gone."

John nodded. "I'm afraid…" his voice a whisper.

Aeryn rubbed her thumb against his shoulder. "Me too."

Slowly John stood up, letting Chiana's hand drop. He leant over and kissed her gently on the lips. Aeryn could not help feeling a stab of jealousy then rebuked herself.

"Come John…"

He followed her silently back to his quarters. Aeryn sat him down on the bed. She sat next to him for a moment, trying to gauge if he would talk or not. She decided not.

"Go to sleep."

He looked up at her, eyes wide and caught her hand. "Don't leave me alone."

Then he was kissing her fiercely.

Clothes were discarded hurriedly, as John pulled her towards him. They made love, as they had never done before. Like this was the only thing that they were living for. Like it was their last night alive. Aeryn ran her hands down John's back and wondered how she could lose him. They didn't speak. All Aeryn could hear was John's breathing in her ear. It was harsh and desperate. John smelled Aeryn's hair and imagined saying goodbye to her. How could he do that? How would he survive without her? He clung to her desperately and thought about the last words he'd said to her - Don't leave me alone – how apt they seemed given the situation. They kissed violently as they climaxed, and thought about dying.

One by one they fell. D'Argo died soon after Chiana; it was like he knew she was gone. John knew they'd be together somewhere. No last words. He just died.

Rygel moaned his way through it. But in a day he was gone.

Zhaan faded quickly but didn't tell anyone. She just kept silent and nursed them all. Until she looked at John with blood in her eyes and whispered, "John I'm done."

Pilot too. Aeryn was with him when he went. Pilot just sighed and closed his eyes.

And now Aeryn lay there as if dead already. John had taken her to his quarters. He didn't want her lying in the sterile med bay.

The bodies of the others were there. He and Aeryn had lined them up. Except Pilot, they didn't know what to do with him.

They had been sat in the mess, picking at some food cubes. They weren't talking. Neither knew what to say. John looked at her dipped head and slowly took her hand across the table. Aeryn looked up, eyes teary. John wasn't used to Aeryn crying. He rubbed a thumb over her knuckles awkwardly. They hadn't spoken about what had happened in his quarters, it was easier not to. But John had to say something.

He thought about all the things he wanted to say but couldn't find the words. So he settled for "Hey."

"Hey," she muttered back. She'd put a hand to her head, wincing a little.

"Aeryn? Are you alright?" John tried to keep the fear from his voice.

"Yes, I…" she shook her head as though to clear it, and stood up. Then she sat down again heavily. Less than a minute later she passed out.

John left her lying in his bunk. Her dark hair tangled across the pillow. She looked simply asleep. John knew better.

He walked into the corridor and sunk down, his back against Moya's golden skin. He rubbed it gently. Somewhere Moya rumbled softly. John rested his head back and let the tears fall.

"Moya…oh god…" he knew Aeryn talked to Moya like this. "Why is this happening? When is it my turn?"

He walked back into his room and lay on the bed next to his dying lover. He brushed back her hair and whispered in her ear.

"I love you."

She stirred slightly and for a minute John let himself believe that the sappy movies were true. You told your dying lover that you loved them and they woke from their coma and you lived happily ever after. You could bring people back from the dead with those three little words.

But it hadn't worked for mom had it? He'd been there when she died.

He looked at Aeryn as she stirred and held his breath. Her eyes flickered open, then locked with his then glazed over, and she exhaled and died. John knew she was gone. The sobs caught in his throat before exploding loudly from his mouth. They echoed round Moya, repeating painfully back to him. His tears blinded him. Aeryn was gone, what did anything matter now. Carefully he closed her eyes. John slid his arms around her and continued to cry until he fell asleep.

The last man on Earth. That's how he felt. No one was left.

John had lain there, waiting to die for three days without food or water. But merciful death never came. The virus never claimed him. Finally he got up, showered and did what he had to do. He spaced the bodies of the others, saying prayers for all of them. Whispered goodbyes and apologies.

"I'm sorry…this was the best I could do. Goodbye my friends."

Moya was hanging dead in space and she was confused and scared. Not that John noticed. He was slowly going mad.

He raged at the heavens, at anyone who might be listening.

"Why did you do this to me? Why her? Why didn't you take me?"

He would scream random obscenities at the ceiling, just to try and provoke a reaction.

Finally he just gave up. One day he walked to command, stared out at the stars. He looked until he found the brightest one. Aeryn. Then he pulled out Winona. He held her to his temple and stared at the star. One, two, three…he couldn't. Not this way. Winona hit the deck with a clatter.

He fled to the corridor and rested his forehead against a bulkhead.

"Make it quick Moya. Please make it quick." His voice was tired, empty.

Moya rumbled and he caught the bulkhead in his hands.

"Please…" the note of desperation breaks Moya's heart. "I want to die Moya. I wanted to die with her. Why didn't I die? Please…"

He dropped to his knees, still holding onto Moya. His eyes full of tears. "Please please please."

Moya gave him his wish and slowly drained the atmosphere from the corridor. And Crichton died, feeling like the last man on Earth.


End file.
